Star Trek: Phoenix Return To Grace S1E3
by andyblue1975
Summary: Episode 3 of Star Trek: Phoenix.


**STRATOS, ARDANA.**

Sitting in a dark corner, picking at morsels of meat on a bone, the man frantically eat as if it was his last meal. Startled, he was right to think so as he heard a gigantic thud followed by a metallic, resounding clang. The city's security forces were unrelenting, and until every last member of the former aristocracy were found, rounded up, and executed, he would have to endure being hunted. He would also have to endure the constant anxiety of wondering where the next meal was coming from, as well as the fear of the constant impromptu visits of the squads, mopping up the remnants of the former sky city dwellers. Although the monarchy had stated that they were just building an equal society, & that the people of the sky cities were being welcomed to live on the surface, whilst re-integrating into Ardanan society, he knew that they were exacting their revenge. Revenge for the thousands of deaths caused by the madness of inhaling zenite gas, from mining zenite. Grabbing his rucksack, and gathering up the remaining, uneaten food, he sought his usual hiding spot that had yet to be discovered. This particular spot had been the one that held the record for the amount of time it had remained undiscovered. Barking.....he could hear barking, as the squad had clearly upped their game & brought Ardanan hounds with them. He would be sniffed out within moments, and decided that he would have to go to one of his other hiding spots he had found, should the one he occupied be discovered. Leaving the bones of his meal, he knew that would be a good enough diversion for any dog, as he grabbed his rucksack & crossbow, and made his break.

The security squad all wore the same uniform of a black helmet with a blacked out visor, which housed a computer screen that could pick up various movements & heat all across the spectrum that was unseen to the naked eye, as well as an earpiece. Their bullet proof jackets, apart from the gold buttons, were black, save for a patch on the right shoulder which was a logo of a crown, with a lion at either side of it. Black pants & heavy, Ardanan leather boots were also required uniform of King Xirkes elite guards. The leader, (who was differentiated from the others by a gold, unbroken band around the elbow area of his right arm), held a two way communication unit in his hands, issuing orders. For those soldiers nearest to him, he made gestures with his hands and pointed in certain directions. The hounds were straining at their leashes, and maniacally sniffing the air. The leader, having finished issuing orders, started running with the other guards, flashing their torches to illuminate the path ahead.

**CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

It wasn't often that Simon got time to spend in his quarters, during a duty shift, but there was work to be done. He had reports to file, but more pressingly, the study of the planet Ardana & their culture was a top priority, as he left the bridge in the safe hands of Commander Davenport.

_**Ardana was last visited by the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC 1701. Then Captain James T. Kirk had found wrongdoings & an unfair balance in their society. Considering that the world was a UFP member made these gross acts of misconduct unacceptable. The ruling aristocracy, & elite of the society at the time, lived in one of the first of many cloud cities to be built; Stratos. Whilst the poor, the Troglytes, were made to mine zenite, and their only reward being very squalid working & living conditions. The occupants of Stratos received all the profits, and let resources be developed for the Troglytes as & when they deemed fit. The severe side effects of mining zenite were caused by the gas it released, which would cause madness, then death. After receiving the report from Captain Kirk, the Federation President threatened Ardana with the removal of membership, should such practices of inequality continue. The President also ordered a complete blockade of the planet under UFP jurisdiction, so that no zenite would be able to be exported offworld. Fearing for the collapse of the economy, the Governor relented. The Troglytes were given the means to build infrastructure, and atmosphere processors to make the mining of zenite safer. Cities sprang up across the main continent that Stratos hovered over, and eventually, the Troglytes were granted their own ruling body, with the election of President Lencomb. The Troglytes cast off their name & saw themselves as Ardanan's. Enjoying an exact split of mining operations, the Ardanan's prospered, and their economy grew with other exports & imports initiated by young entrepreneurs. However, the once gleaming sky cities were now in a state of disrepair, and their economy was faltering. After the death of 6 million on the Mampa continent, due to a catastrophic engine failure of the sky city above, Lencomb made overtures to the once ruling aristocracy to join their society, and become a shining beacon of unity in the quadrant. Some relented, citing suspicion, whilst some feeling they had nothing to lose, became a citizen of Ardana. There were many who feared that the constant decay of the sky cities was a threat that literally loomed over them, and that the re-patriotation of cloud dwellers wasn't moving as quick as they liked. It was imperative that the cities were decommissioned before another Mampa disaster happened. However, there were those who were scared of the future, and those who all they had known were their lives living in the sky. Lencomb couldn't force those against their will to live on the planet, and so there was only so much persuading he could do, and thus, left the one's who wanted to stay in peace. But he warned them that the cities would be decommissioned eventually, as they were now a danger. One beautiful, sunny day in the main city, Lencomb celebrated a successful fifth term as President, and all of the reforms that he had brought upon the now thriving society. Leaders & diplomats from all over the Federation were invited to join the celebrations, which were initiated by a motorcade through the streets. That day was to be Lencomb's final day in office as a hidden assailant with one lucky shot, assassinated him. Once the month of mourning had passed, and the captured former sky city dweller had been executed, a re-election occurred. In an unprecedented move, a former royal figure decided that a government needed a figurehead. With his narrow defeat by Lencomb some terms prior, the popular Xirkes assumed power, and in a coronation was proclaimed King.**_

It was Xirkes who initially made overtures to the UFP for assistance from Starfleet's famed engineers in assistance of swift decommissioning of the final sky city, Stratos. Simon had every confidence that this was Ken's kind of task, so he had assigned Ken, Commander Davenport, Lieutenant Babi, and a team of engineers & security detail for the mission. He had been invited himself by Xirkes to the royal palace for a banquet celebrating the removal of the final city, and the ushering in of a new era for Ardana, with renewed strength of relations with the Federation. After reading up on Xirkes, Simon found he had distaste for him already. From his profile he seemed full of qualities that made the Captain's skin crawl. Although, as a Captain, although he should listen to his instincts, he felt that to pre judge a person wasn't fair before a chance had been given to get to know them. The familiar beeping comm tone followed by Andy's voice interrupted his studies; "Bridge to Captain Hodgkinson, we are two hours away from Ardana, and there is an urgent communiqué from Admiral Janeway." Simon acknowledged the message and requested it to be put through to his quarters, as he tapped the appropriate keys on his desktop padd.

**ENGINEEERING, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

In the laboratory section of engineering, Ken sat at the desk, analysing the schematics of the sky cities engines. He deemed that the only way for the city to be brought to rest was to add additional temporary thrusters, and use ground based tractor beams to assist in a controlled descent. In the laboratory also, in an upright monitoring cradle, stood Klix. Still deactivated, although not completely as basic functions were kept operational, by what Ken assumed was a redundant emergency backup system. Ken & his engineering team really could do with Klix's expertise & the super fast processing of information that his brain handled, for this mission. He turned round on his chair to face him; "So, what do you think Klix? Is my plan a sound one, or do you think there is a better way?" Not expecting any response, Ken turned back to the screen to study the schematics. Somewhere, deep within his machine brain, a chip started to pulsate, and as they got closer to Ardana, it increased its pulsating speed.

**SPORTS HALL, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

Lieutenant Dantuma & Ensign Markey were enjoying a game of squash; however, the first rounds of enjoyment had quickly been filled with frustration as Craig whitewashed Duco. With every whack of his racquet against the ball, his returns got more and more powerful, whilst his mutterings got more & more profound. "God....damn....Starfleet.......busted....to....Lieutenant....." Craig threw his racquet on the floor, and fed up of Duco's whining, made his way to the changing rooms. "We have a few hours before our first mission where no doubt, our performance will be monitored with scrutiny. With your mounting frustration, the mission could be put into jeopardy. Also, i am trying to get a bit of squash practice in, considering over the next few days, it will be impossible getting some time out. God damn it, i'm an Ensign, but i know that the Exodus waits for me to be her Captain, and i will have staff to delegate tasks to, rather than be swamped with them as i am now!" Duco laughed; "That's what i like about you Craig, ever the dreamer!" Little did he know that Craig was determined to make this, out of all the dreams he ever had, become a reality.

**BRIDGE, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

Apart from the familiar noises that populated the bridge, the area was generally quiet. The low chatter of fellow officers seemed to be the only other sound permeating the artificial clicks and beeps. It made a change to have a peaceful bridge, Andy mused. But he also knew that it was such a rare occasion that the noise level was at such low decibels that in his experience, it was usually the calm before the storm. Although the bridge chair was comfortable enough, Andy fidgeted a lot. He couldn't see himself in permanent command of a vessel, and a second in command served his current state of mind well. Making the big decisions is something that he felt he wasn't ready for, even though he was well aware that it wouldn't be long before the crew evaluations were due, where promotions would be available to candidates who had shown diligence, & exemplary performance. A slight rumbling every sixty seconds seemed to pass beneath his feet, and it had started to become more noticeable. The Rhaanderite twins Labe & Nake were coming to the end of their shift, & would shortly be relieved by Duco & Craig. "Ensign Nake, please run a diagnostic on the torque sensors, they feel slightly off." His fingers whizzing over the keys carrying out the orders given, Nake was shocked at the findings. "Commander, you were right about your feeling as they were off by 1.6 percent!" Satisfied, Andy smiled & acknowledged the Ensign for his effort. "I just felt it Ensign, you did all the work to correct it." Smiling, Nake turned to his brother & winked, whilst Labe rolled his silver pupils. "You've already got a big head, if it gets any larger, we won't be able to hit warp speed due to the weight ratio!" Nake laughed; "I'm your twin brother, our heads therefore will always be the same size!" Andy continued studying the constant scans of the area they passed as they got closer to Ardana, thumbing the touchscreen on his armrest.

At tactical, Rez was running various battle simulations on his screen, and Andy could see by the expression on his face that he wasn't satisfied with the outcome. Andy was confident that the Captain, who knew Rez was a perfectionist, felt safe in the knowledge that whatever situation they found themselves in, Rez would always come through for them. Whilst other officers were at their various stations, performing checks, diagnostics, and prepatory tasks, Kirsty seemed lost amidst the hubbub. She had a padd in her hand, with the intention of writing notes about her experiences, so she could perhaps use them someday to help others who sought counsel, & other Counsellor's, counsel effectively. But nothing was forthcoming. It was all there in her head, and unfortunately, still in her heart, but something blocked her from writing it. Thumbing the padd to bring up psyche profiles on the Ardanan culture, she felt that would be a more productive use of her time. But she couldn't help but wonder if the writing block was something a bit more....deliberate.

**CAPTAIN'S QUARTERS, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

The familiar friendly face of Admiral Janeway appeared on screen, with her customary cup of coffee having pride of place on her desk. The last time they had spoke she had been particularly jovial, excited, and her usual self of the excitement of the five year missions. This time she wore a dour expression which told Simon that she had the weight of the world on her shoulders. It was Janeway herself that had persuaded him to rejoin Starfleet, and that after decades of conflict, the Federation needed a recognised face, the face of a hero, who would restore faith in the fleet. As well as the fact that although many cadets & officers who showed promise were being fast tracked through the ranks, they also needed any established good officers they could find. The Dominion War, Borg incursions, skirmishes with the Klingons, and the corruption that had riddled through Starfleet & the UFP, had taken its toll. The proposition of a new wave of exploration had begun the long road to renewal of faith, and Simon's priority was to strengthen ties with established members who had been overlooked during the consistently consecutive crisis that occurred. Simon felt the feeling of dread well up in the pit of his stomach. "Captain, i felt it fitting that you be the first to know, Vullia is deliberating within its council to withdraw from the UFP. They will have an answer for us within twenty four of their hours; that equates to thirty hours Federation standard time. Ensign Rollings was found dead some hours ago on Rura Penthe, and Vullian justice demands that his kidnappers be brought to the homeworld & executed. Rollings had kept it quiet as he didn't want any preferential treatment, but he was to be the first male Prince in line for the throne. He was good at keeping a secret, and omitted it from his personnel files." Simon had wondered why the media had made such a fuss over the constant talks between the Vullia Ambassador, the Klingons, & the Federation Council. Clearly, this wasn't just a case of any national being abducted & missing in action, but Simon could never pinpoint why such upset was caused by it. "Marax is dead, so he and his cohorts cannot be held accountable. Unless he has blood relatives, but then even if it is a matter of honour, & politics, surely the Klingons will not release to the Vullian authorities those who haven't done wrong?" Janeway nodded her head in agreement; "This is true, but Chancellor Martok is arguing that it is a matter of honour, and that the house and family Marax descending from, have blood on their hands with a heavy debt of honour to repay. The High Council have been split over this, with those who have always been against Martok's leadership, looking for any opportunity to sow seeds of dissent. I have met Martok, and i don't envy the weight of leadership he carries." "So where does that leave the Federation then?" replied Simon inquisitively. "Well, as the Klingons are our allies, the Vullians say it would not be in their best interests to maintain UFP membership. But my biggest fear is that the Vullians and their strong sense of righteousness may compel them to do something rash, which could not only bring war to an area that is still reeling from decades of conflict, but....." Simon interrupted her; "....we could also lose our only source of benamite crystals, which we are still working on how to find a way to recrystallize them." Simon felt disappointed. What was the real reason for Janeway's concern? Was she making the same mistakes that many twenty first politicians had made? Was she more concerned with the loss of the only known source in the quadrant used to power the quantum slipstream drives, or was she generally concerned with the possibilities that could erupt if nobody came forward to answer for the death of Rollings? Not many viewed the Vullians as bringing much to the UFP table as a species, but Simon would always defend them by saying they are like a flower, waiting for the coming spring. "I'll mention Rollings unfortunate death in my briefings with senior staff, and ask them to relay the news where appropriate. I gather that Rollings met his death at the hands of some unruly prisoner?" "Yes. The Nausicaan will be extradited to Vullia, by the Klingons." Simon put his head in his hands in despair. "Who's to say that the Vullians will just take only the Nausicaan prisoner, prisoner?" Janeway smiled for the first time during the conversation. "That's where you come in. After your mission to Ardana has concluded, lay in a course for Rura Penthe, where you will escort the Klingon ship to Vullia, in a show of faith & co-operation." Simon shook his head; "It never rains but it pours. My crew, have had more than their fair share of dealings with the Klingons in recent weeks. They are chomping at the bit to do some exploring." "Of course Captain, and exploring is what you will be doing, once you do this one important favour for me, and for the sake of maintaining peace in the quadrant. In the meantime, i am sending you a download of some recent archaeological finds across the quadrant. The rest of the Alpha fleet have information sent to sites near their location. Now i know you like a challenge & solving puzzles. We think they are all linked somehow, as if someone has left a message, but we don't know what. God speed Captain. Janeway out." Simon was already restless at the thought of glamorised escort duties.

**STRATOS, ARDANA.**

The royal guard felt that he was on the trail of the squatter that had been a thorn in the King's side for so long. Illuminating the way ahead as best he could, he activated his helmet lights, whilst brandishing his weapon which was set to stun. His heart race increasing as he ventured further into the dark hallways, that were once occupied by many citizens, he thought he saw movement, and fired the weapon. Nothing. The shadows were playing tricks on him, and he felt to perform his duty admirably, he needed to get a hold of himself, lest he..... Thwack! Xen jumped from an overhead compartment, and chopped the guard to the back of his neck, knocking him cold. Quickly dragging the unconscious officer to a store closet, he removed his garments, and dressed himself in the guard's clothes, which just happen to fit perfectly. Over his earpiece he could hear the comm chatter of all the movements of the other guards, than a voice more defined requesting status updates rang over the earpiece. Xen kept the response as brief as possible, so as not to raise any suspicions. Making his way out on to the landing area that the guard's vessel had docked, he ran at the two men performing sentry at the vessel's aperture, and stunned them before they had time to react. The remaining guard inside, and pilot could hear what was going on, and as they came to the entrance, were both on the receiving end of kicks, chops, and punches to the head. Gaining control of the vessel, and sealing the doors, Xen activated the engines and weapons. "Now the hunted becomes the hunter!"

**BRIDGE, US.S. PHOENIX.**

Duco & Craig's duty shift had started, as they exited warp & were met with the view of Ardana. "Standard orbit. Hail our arrival, and our eagerness to commence operations." The mission to Ardana seemed like it would never happen, and it had got to that point where Simon just wanted to get it over & done with, & move on to some of the more choice assignments available. Although, yet again, fate, and his superiors had meant that after Ardana, they wouldn't move on to further missions on the exploratory itinerary. The joys of yawnsome escort duty awaited them, which he wasn't looking forward to briefing the senior officer's about. It seemed that his tactical drills would be put into action, as Rez announced what the sensors had registered. "Captain, i'm picking up heavy weapons fire around the sky city, Stratos." At that time, the King responded to the hails, and his worried, bearded visage appeared on screen. "Captain, i wish your arrival was greeted with better circumstances. I have no idea what is happening at the moment, but all i know is that there are reports that my royal guards are under attack by their own support ship. Can....you...as....zzzz.....zzzz" The Ops officer announced that the signal was being jammed by the same vessel attacking the guards. Simon, before King Xirkes was cut off, was about to ask if they required assistance, and promptly answered Xirkes for him: "Bridge to Engineering. Ken, we are heading down to Ardana earlier than anticipated. Rez, Andy, your with me. We'll take the scenic route and test out one of the shiny new shuttles."

**ENGINEERING, U.S.S. PHOENIX.**

Klix's eyelids shot open, and his golden pupils returned, which proceeded to suddenly, holographically project images. Ken was shocked out of his studies of the sky cities schematics as he noticed the unexpected projections, and Klix partially activated from his coma. Random images formed, showing unknown star systems, temples, a glowing golden book with alien language on the cover, then the images changed to show what was unmistakably Ardana. The images seemed to focus in on the landmass beneath Stratos, and a glowing hue seemed to pulsate, emanating from the King's palace.

**STRATOS, ARDANA.**

The craft manoeuvered erratically as Xen grasped the basics from memories long since buried. Propulsion, thrusters, weapons, navigation, were simple to locate & operate, eventually, as the craft clipped the wall of the docking area, causing rubble to tumble towards the continent below. Rotating the vessel, and opening the front gun ports, Xen clicked the trigger as phaser bolts strafed in the direction of the guards, who in turn were targeting the attacking stolen ship. Two of the guards started to remove items from a back pack that one of them carried, & Xen realised as the tripod was set up that they were constructing some kind of portable cannon, with the intent of using it against him. He still hadn't mastered flight completely of the cumbersome leviathan, as the craft veered, although his piloting was less violent then the moment of take off. He gazed at all the flashing lights, beeping displays, and arrays of buttons, frantically searching for shields. Another strafing run missed the guards by miles, as the weapon they constructed was almost completed. The guard manning the gun clicked the sight into place as the weapon powered up, as he smiled, patiently waiting to strike the killing blow. Suddenly, spluttering it's last moments, one of the sky cities thrusters finally gave out, as the complex violently lurched to one side, causing the guard to prematurely press the trigger, and launch a missile, completely missing the stolen cruiser, yet picking up the heat signature from the engines of the descending shuttlecraft Eagle.

**SHUTTLECRAFT EAGLE.**

Blaring alarms sounded as the displays announced the incoming missile. Phaser shot after phaser shot from the shuttle, although on target, was avoided at the last moment as the missile swerved to dodge the bolts. "It's time for an emergency site to site transport, I think. What are our available options?" shouted Simon over the din. Rez responded as he frantically searched for a safe site to materialize using the short range emergency transporter. "You're not going to like this, but our only option is to transport to the sky city, which will put us……" "Out of the frying pan, and into the fire!" interrupted Andy. The computer announced morbidly that they had sixty seconds to impact, whilst one by one, they entered the one person transporter. With moments to spare, Simon beamed out last, momentarily witnessing the missile nearing with its destructive intent. Safely away, with the computer announcing transport complete on its display, the missile struck and sheared off one of the Eagle's nacelles.

**STRATOS.**

The trio of officers materialized one by one on the balcony where the fight continued between the strafing cruiser, and the guards. Ducking out of the way of the strafing vessel, the officers defended themselves by unholstering their phasers and targeting the vessels visible vital areas. Simon took out the ships guns, whilst the others caused imbalance in the vessel by targeting some of the thrusters and engines, which would force the vessel to land. The city lurched again as the guard operating the cannon found it impossible to get a lock on the attacking craft. The cities other thrusters strained to keep a balance on the huge metropolis in the air, but Ken's engineering wisdom feared that it would only be a matter of time before the whole propulsion system would give out. "We have to get out of here soon, and begin our operation, otherwise we'll have to evacuate the continent;" shouted Ken over the din to Andy. Although he didn't want to admit it, Simon didn't like their chance for either of those choices. As his hand reached to tap his com badge, the damaged Eagle, streaking fire across the Ardanan sky, was on a direct course for the city. "Hodgkinson to Phoenix, lock on to all life signs on Stratos, and beam us down to the surface.....pronto!"

**XEN.**

Noticing the deadly descending shuttle, he barely wrestled with keeping the guard's craft in the air, and moved into the shuttle's path so the city would be spared. With every passing second the Eagle loomed closer, as Xen headed for a side hatch of the vessel. Adjusting his backpack so he wouldn't lose it, he jumped out of the craft. "Yeeeeeehaaaaa!" he screamed at the sheer exhilaration of his impromptu sky dive. As soon as he got within a safe distance away from the vessel, he pulled the cords emanating from his backpack which released a parachute. Grabbing the tether lines, and with the aid of the slight breeze, he guided himself down towards the main city. He planned to land outside the royal palace, and put a stop to this madness once and for all. A loud boom filled the air as both ships impacted overhead, and were mostly consumed in a super heated fireball. Laughing to himself, he realised that the guard's who had desperately tried to round him up, were now stranded on Stratos, which was losing altitude by the hour. The pedestrainised square loomed up as he timed himself ready to make contact with the ground. Running with parachute, he released the hooks, lest he be carried away with it and end up a grisly paste all over the surrounding buildings. In an instant, Xen was surrounded by more of the King's elite guards. "As he slowly moved his hands into the air, he muttered; "There's no way out of this one." Momentarily, a shrill noise filled the air as swirling lights shimmered & coalesced into the humanoid forms of Starfleet officers, royal guards, and Xen's wife & daughter.

**NEW STRATOS ROYAL PALACE.**

Xen had jumped to conclusions in his mind when he witnessed that his wife & daughter had been found, but then at the same time he restrained himself as he was also thankful that they were saved from the rapidly deteriorating city. Simon addressed Xirkes, whilst held in shackles next to him, Xen stood defiantly with his family. "My chief engineer and his team are working on bringing down slowly to rest Stratos, so it is no longer a danger to your civilisation, and you can do with it what you wish." Xirkes smiled; "I thank you Captain, and your gallant crew, as well as your engineering team who are clearly miracle workers. Once Stratos is on the ground, we will strip its metals, & any treasures we find, not wasting anything. Our economy would receive a great boost from any valuable finds." Ken had mentioned that an energy reading was coming from the palace, and Andy noticed a book on a table next to the throne, with a slowly pulsating golden hue. Pretending to look around, he secretly scanned the item. "No need for subterfuge, Commander. I realise that this artefact we found at Mampa years ago must be giving off a signal that can be picked up all over the planet. Funny though that all that time ago, it was just a book with ancient writings, icons, & diagrams, until recently where it is clear it is not just merely a book, and has demonstrated so." Not able to hold his temper any longer, Xen boiled over with rage; "This is outrageous brother! You are going to destroy our family legacy, that could come to some good. What has happened to you? Have you truly lost your mind?!" His shouting continued as he worked his way loose of his restraints. Suddenly he elbowed the guard behind him in the groin, grabbed the phaser, whilst hooking his arm round Simon's neck with the phaser set to kill pointing right at his back. Slowly moving over to the throne, he eyed everyone. "No sudden movements! I'm sorry Captain but desperate times call for desperate measures." Gasping for air, Simon barely managed to muster the words; "You're sorry? You're sorry?! You've brought us, Starfleet officers who represent Federation interests, right into the middle of a family blood feud! How many lives have been destroyed? How many citizens have paid for the actions of you and your brother? What is yet to come?" Rez slowly edged his hand towards his phaser, which Simon noticed, made eye contact, and shook his head to instruct Rez not to make any sudden moves. Simon wanted to keep his head, even if all those around him were losing theirs. Xen edged towards the throne, then forcefully pushed Simon away with a boot, whilst he grabbed hold of Xirkes in a headlock, with the phaser pointing with intent. Simon tumbled to the floor near Rez, who managed to help him to his feet whilst he caught his breath & composed himself. "I was meant to ascend to the throne, and you made me, our family fugitives. Why? Why return to what the people abhorred so much in the past, and regress from a government back to a monarchy? Why?! Answer me!!" Xen slowly calmed himself before his heart rate became dangerously high, whilst Xirkes started to laugh. "Lencomb was corrupt, the government was corrupt. Why, when the Dominion came & offered Lencomb starships & warp drive, in exchange for exclusivity of the planet's zenite, he succumbed. I suppose they would have taken it anyway, if he had refused, & then the planet would have been invaded by the regime. But for centuries we have been warp capable, but where would it take us, apart from away from our beautiful homeworld. So, after the war was over, Lencomb had to go." Xen laughed; "SILENCE! O yes, you're a true patriot, going back to the old ways which caused nothing but planetary disharmony. I'll tell you all why my so called brother turned his back on me, and put on a facade that he was the people's King. But first, dear brother, let me ask you a question. When did you start having a fondness for Ardanan tea when the doctor told you that the next adverse reaction could be your death?" Xirkes upper torso transformed from a humanoid solid to a shimmering, gelatinous mass, as before a shocked Xen could react, a tentacle was grasping at his throat. As the changeling's vice like grip intensified, Xen's phaser dropped to the floor, and all sensations were replaced with numbness as the world around him started to go black. "Do you know what it feels like to be a god all your life, then to lose an empire and all your loyal subjects....do you?.....DO YOU?!" The officers & others who witnessed the transmogrification from misguided monarch to maniacal shapeshifter were frozen in shock, apart from the guards. In moments one, then another opened fire with their pulse pistols, until the chamber echoed with the sound of lasers. The Phoenix officers had to partially shield their eyes as one by one all the guards opened fire and peppered the changeling with pulse bolts. Xen was on the floor clutching his throat & gasping desperately for air, as his wife ran over to retrieve him out of the way, should a stray bolt hit him, or even worse, the changeling finish the job of killing him. The shiny gold, orange hue of the Founder started to dull as it could not morph its body out of the way of the mass firepower unleashed against it, as it started to roar with the intense pain and thrash wildly. Seconds passed that seemed like minutes as everything seemed to play out in slow motion, as with every fibre of its being, the changeling resisted the inevitable. Suddenly, it darkened to black, and exploded, peppering the throne room with its deceased, oily mass. The chamber was filled with silence, except for the dripping of the dead gelatinous being, and the low hum of the pulsating book.

**SOMETIME AFTER.**

**CHIEF ENGINEER'S LOG.**

We managed to slowly bring Stratos to rest in the designated area that the monarchy suggested. The project, which i have never attempted before was a great success, and something that all engineering staff involved should be proud of.

**CAPTAIN'S LOG.**

The Stratos operation was a success, and following a large restoration project, is now being used to bolster the economy, but not in the way that Xirkes, or the changeling had envisioned. Stratos has been assigned an Ardanan heritage site as one of the first acts of the recently crowned rightful heir King Xen, and has boosted tourism. The Ardanan's were given a choice of returning to government or maintaining the monarchy, which the majority of citizens voted for the latter. A sensor sweep of the planet has found no other signs of Founders, Vorta, or Jem Hadar. It is assumed that the changeling was involved with the Dominion war, and rather than be trialled & punished, disguised itself by going into exile. But the allure of being worshipped was clearly its undoing, and not knowing any other life, manipulated Ardanan society to its own vision. Unfortunately, many lives were lost because of the founders greed for power, such as President Lencomb, and Xirkes. The latters body was found days ago, and we have been invited to pay our respects at the state's burial ceremony in a few days. I am beaming down with Commander Davenport to say our goodbyes.

**NEW STRATOS ROYAL PALACE.**

Xen shook the officers hands firmly & expressed gratitude for their assistance in the all that followed the changeling exposure. "Gentlemen, i wish there was some way i could thank you, perhaps even give you a parting gift as a souvenir of your visit. It is a shame you cannot make the burial of my dear brother, but you have an open invitation to return to Ardana whenever you please. Don't be strangers." Andy & Simon returned thanks; "There's no need for gifts, it's our duty to assist where and when possible." Xen's focus seemed to be elsewhere, almost as if he was searching for something, as he opened the drawer beneath the table next to his throne. A golden hue emanated from it, and Andy recognised it as the pulsating book. Xen handed it to Simon. "We don't know what it is, but we know it has no reference or relation to Ardanan beliefs & myths. Perhaps the mystery is yours to solve, please do with the book what you will." Nodding in gratitude, Simon & Andy stood in an open space, ready for transportation. "Davenport to Phoenix. Two to beam up." In a flash of light, they disappeared, as King Xen mouthed the words once again; "Thank you."

**PHOENIX.**

The two officers, book in hand stepped off the transporter pad, as Captain Hodgkinson issued orders for the ship to head to Rura Penthe at maximum warp. Looking down at the book, its soft, slow pulsating increased in brightness & intensity. Time seemed to slow down, as suddenly the book projected schematics of star systems, worlds, constellations, ships, buildings, temples, and finally stopped on a projection of a head that rotated. The head's eyes suddenly snapped opened revealing the humanoids golden pupils.....


End file.
